Toyota is recalling nearly 31,000 of its latest Prius hybrid cars
because of a computer glitch which could cause the vehicle to shut
down and stop. The UK measure is part of a 1.9million recall of Prius
models worldwide and is the latest in a long line of embarrassing
incidents to have beset the firm.

The new recall affects 30,970 of the current third generation
petrol-electric Prius models registered in the UK and manufactured
between March 2009 and February 2014. It said the latest incident
involved the software used in the ‘boost converter’ which helps
control the flow of power. The boost converter is required when
accelerating hard from standstill.

It said there had been 11 incidents across Europe of the computer
problem but said there had been no accidents or injuries. The company
said today that the software defect could lead to key electrical
transistor parts ‘deforming or being damaged’.

It noted: ‘Should this happen, warning lights may be illuminated and
the car is likely to switch to ‘failsafe’ operation. It can still be
driven, but with reduced power. ‘In limited cases the hybrid system
may shut down, causing the vehicle to stop. The driver will not
experience any change in the vehicle’s behavior or performance prior
to the problem occurring.’

Toyota added that the issue would not occur in the company’s other
hybrid vehicles because they use different systems. The UK recall
will involve a software update. The firm said: ‘Worldwide, there have
been no reports of any accidents or injuries relating to this issue.
Vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota within the coming weeks by
post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to bring their car
to their nearest Toyota center.

‘The software update will take about 40 minutes; the work will be
carried out free of charge.’ Toyota is Japan’s biggest carmaker and
for a period became the world’s biggest carmaker. But experts say that
this dash for growth led to Toyota ‘taking its eye off the ball’ in
terms of quality.

Controversy in 2009 and 2010 over floor mat and accelerator pedal
issues – including a row over a fatality for which Toyota has denied
responsibility – led to a recall of more than 12million vehicles and
fines from US regulators. Sales fell and the carmaker is still trying
to rebuild its reputation.

There have been a total of 400 reports filed about the fault, with the
majority originating in North America and Japan. Toyota added that 11
of these reports were recorded across Europe, yet confirmed none had
resulted in accidents or injuries.

The problem is said to be caused by an issue with the software used in
the Prius' ‘boost converter’ feature. The boost converter is required
when accelerating hard from standstill and helps control the flow of
power. Toyota said the software defect could lead to key electrical
transistor parts ‘deforming or being damaged.' Yet assured drivers:
‘Should this happen, warning lights may be illuminated and the car is
likely to switch to 'failsafe' operation.

‘It can still be driven, but with reduced power. In limited cases the
hybrid system may shut down, causing the vehicle to stop. The driver
will not experience any change in the vehicle's behavior or
performance prior to the problem occurring.’

The issue is restricted to the third-generation models and doesn’t
affect the company's other hybrid vehicles because they use different
‘transistor structures and control logic.’ The recall will involve an
update of the control software. A total of 30,970 models registered
in the UK have been recalled.

All affected vehicle owners will be contacted by Toyota within the
coming weeks by post or telephone and asked to make an appointment to
bring their car to their nearest Toyota center, in accordance with
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) guidelines.

The software update is said to take around 40 minutes to complete and
Toyota said the work will be carried out free of charge. Toyota is
Japan's biggest carmaker and for a period was the biggest car maker in
the world. Experts claim that a dash for growth led to Toyota ‘taking
its eye off the ball’ in terms of quality.

This recall is the latest in a long line of embarrassing incidents
which have beset the firm in recent years. Controversy in 2009 and
2010 over floor mat and accelerator pedal issues led to a recall of
more than 12 million vehicles. The Japanese carmaker is still trying
to rebuild its reputation and regain customer trust after that fiasco,
which saw the firm's head apologizing to consumer.

View the attachments for this post at:
http://www.jlaforums.com/viewtopic.php?p&7899742#267899742